Our plan is to expand our sales offline and cover most of the Indian states by the end of 2017-18 through existing infrastructure.

Super Plastronics is a manufacturing company established in 1990 in Noida. They started with plastic injection molding which slowly graduated to manufacturing of CRT TVs and now LED TVs. They were one of the largest manufacturers of CRT TV cabinets in the 90s and today one of India’s foremost OEMs in CRT and LED TV with three manufacturing plants in India located in Noida, Una and Jammu.

Mobility India caught up with Mr. Avneet to know about future plans in India.

Why do you feel that brand Kodak has the edge over others?

Kodak as a brand, had established a legacy of trust with their cameras and photographs and has a loyal consumer base in India. The brand recall for Kodak has given us an edge over other brands as the consumer market is curious about Kodak’s foray into an entirely different vertical- consumer electronics.

Another factor is the affordable price of our televisions. Kodak’s endeavor is to provide customers with the best possible services at a ‘value for money’ price, a goal that we have been highly successful in achieving.

Please throw some light on your future and expansion plans.

Our plan is to expand our sales offline and cover most of the Indian states by the end of 2017-18 through existing infrastructure. By 2018-19 the online LED TV market share will increase by 32- 35%, so I think today it’s vital that a brand is present both online and offline. In the rural segment, we will target offline sales due to our Pan-India presence. The more visibility one has both offline and online, the better the sales will be.

What according to you will drive the TV market in India.

The consumer durables industry is projected to double at 14.8 per cent CAGR to reach approximately USD 12.5 billion in FY15 from USD 6.3 billion in FY10. The improved living standards have made the need for electronic consumer durables a must in the Indian household. The changing environmental dynamics, urbanization and rising income levels are driving the growth of this segment that was once inhibited by the high price point. The number of TV sets sold have also reached over 14.5 million, with more than 83 per cent of them being LED & LCD. Additionally, by 2018, the TV industry in India is expected to expand to $ 14.7 billion, from the current $4.8 billion, a growth of over 45 per cent.

What is your view about Make in India? How does Super Plastronics support this initiative?

SPPL has always supported the ‘Make in India initiative, we applaud the government for this move.Currently we have 3 manufacturing plants in India. We are exploring the opportunity to set up another plant in southern India. SPPL will be investing more than 800 cr. over the next three years towards expansion and R&D technology solutions in India, as one of our key areas of focus is next generation televisions.

What is the impact of GST on the consumer electronics space?

The price of television sets has gone up by 5-6 % from 1st July with the GST council recommending a 28% tax on the same. We did experience a heavy impact on sales in the month of July, but are expecting sales to resume once the festive season arrives.

GST is not a pressure point but a relief for affordable brands like ours. Today not only us, but a lot of brands face difficultly due to the fact that products that are being sold are fake, or are being sold in the grey market or sold in cash, which is affecting the market as well the economy. So with the ‘one county one tax’ policy, I feel that all these malpractices will be curbed and the aforesaid markets can be merged to create one big consumer base.